Due to the popularity of Alan's products, many companies approached him seeking agency agreements, offering quite favorable terms. However, Alan did not give them an immediate reply. Instead, he took down their contact information, intending to investigate them thoroughly before discussing further business.
With the help of his two assistants, Alan finally had a chance to relax. He had been so busy that he hadn't even found time for dinner. Currently, besides a pile of alchemy tools casually placed for restocking, Alan had several boxes of sausages, cured meats, and ham beside him. He casually broke off a few pieces, roasted them quickly with Incendio, and began to devour them. Just then, he received a signal from Hog.
Alan nonchalantly took out a wireless earbud and put it in his ear, then lightly tapped the monocle clipped to his eye socket. Hog's adorable little dog head appeared in his vision. From Alan's perspective, Hog was at the corner of a building; to avoid drawing attention, he had used the tactical vest's camouflage function to match his fur. To outsiders, it simply looked like a small dog wearing a collar.
Soon, Hog's voice came through.
"My Lord, I followed that fellow for half the day. After he left at noon, he wandered around the market for a while—even visiting your stall—before going into a cold drink shop and chatting with two wizards for a long time. Since they were just discussing some spell, I didn't contact you then."
"Very good." Alan cupped his mouth with his hand and whispered, "Since you're contacting me now, does that mean he has made a move?"
"Indeed," Hog nodded in his vision. "Just now, the man named Sebastian entered the building behind me. Before going in, he used a Disillusionment Charm. This location is consistent with the Thunderbird's position you pinpointed earlier. Not long after he went in, Aseria also appeared. Although she was invisible, I could still recognize her with the echo glasses. All three are in the building now, but I don't know the situation inside. What should I do?"
"Well done. Being careful is the right move," Alan nodded. "Deploy the surveillance spider; I need to know what's happening inside."
"Yes," Hog shook his head, then asked, "Sebastian is a researcher at the alchemy center. Will there be any security equipment inside? Aseria is in there; if she's discovered, will it expose her?"
"It's precisely because she's in there that I need to know the situation. I need to know if Aseria is truly loyal. Although using Legilimency on her showed she wasn't deceiving me, there are many technologies in the Silver Spears I don't fully understand. I'm afraid she might have been subjected to some spell that can bypass truth detection. As for being discovered, given the Thunderbird's aversion to alchemy and his arrogance, there shouldn't be a problem. Even if they detect something, they won't immediately associate it with her. But if there's trouble, remember to evacuate immediately."
Alan meticulously instructed Hog. This operation against the Thunderbird concerned several upcoming plans, so he had to be cautious. Even Aseria could not be fully trusted yet.
"I understand," Hog replied.
A small spider, not much larger than a coin, crawled down Hog's back and scurried into the building. Alan's vision showed a second image moving rapidly close to the ground. The building was a hotel with many rooms. Fortunately, the surveillance spider was small enough to pass through the cracks under the doors. After searching several rooms, they finally found the target.
In a large hotel suite, three people in black robes and faceless masks were sitting in the living room.
"What exactly happened a year ago?" Aseria took the initiative the moment they met. "Why did you suddenly disappear, and why did it take so long to contact me afterward?"
To avoid showing any flaws, Aseria maintained her disguise, mimicking her previous mindset and tone toward the Thunderbird. Much of the resentment in her voice was real; she had truly been in the dark until Alan found her.
"You were lurking in the Ministry of Magic. How could you not know anything about what happened then?" The Thunderbird's tone was as arrogant as ever. "You're completely useless. Sending you to Britain was a mistake; you're no help at all."
"You have the nerve to blame me? That night, it was your unauthorized actions that left me completely unprepared. I didn't even have time to track the situation at the Ministry. By the time I received the official notification, I didn't even know it was you at the scene. If you had told me beforehand, I would at least have had a chance to warn you. And those Aurors were acting as if they were under a spell, refusing to talk about what happened. I only knew you were there when I saw the Fiendfyre."
Aseria complained with genuine bitterness, not caring that the man was her superior. This dynamic was common within the Club; members didn't know each other well, so there was little need for pleasantries.
"Hmph!" After being lectured, the Thunderbird knew he was in the wrong, but he spoke defiantly anyway. "What good would it do to inform someone as useless as you? You're nothing but a decoration in the Ministry—and a poor one at that. At least some pretty decorations can get into the offices of department heads and hear some news."
The Thunderbird emphasized the word "pretty," clearly hinting at Aseria's identity and warning her not to overstep, especially with another Silver Spear present.
At this point, Sphinx, who had been watching from the side, spoke up to mediate. "You two should say less. After all, you are both members of the British branch, all in the same boat. You'll need to cooperate closely moving forward."